To prevent road accidents caused by “driver fatigue,” the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered bus companies to limit their drivers’ time behind the wheel to just six hours per trip.
The order was contained in Memorandum Circular No. 2017-012 released by the LTFRB on Friday and will take effect on Monday, when the Holy Week break starts jacking up passenger volume.
Bus operators are now required to have a substitute driver on stand-by for trips that will take more than six hours. Bus conductors cannot be tapped as substitute drivers.
LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said the order was in response to reports of road accidents traced to the driver’s exhaustion.
In a TV interview, Lizada said hearings conducted by the LTFRB had also taken note of road accidents where the drivers fell asleep, suffered a heart attack, or had their blood pressure shooting up while on the road.
The board would conduct inspections to check the operators’ compliance, she said. Violators face a P5,000 fine for the first offense; P10,000 and a 30-day suspension for the second offense; and a 60-day suspension for the third.
Stiffer penalties await operators whose noncompliance led to accidents that resulted in death, injury or damage to property. Dexter Cabalza